Beltway Banditry

In Washington today, telecom lobbyists have launched a full-court press to win retroactive immunity for their illegal eavesdropping on American citizens. Granting retroactive immunity will let corporate law-breakers off the hook and hamstring efforts to learn the truth about Bush's illegal spying program.

-- John Edwards

While many Americans understandably have been worrying over crime in the streets, it seems crime in the boardrooms of the Telecom corporations (that would include ATT, Verizon, and all the rest -- except U.S. West) has been running rampant. For six years they violated the U.S. Constitution and federal law by spying on thee and we.

Now, Telecom industry lobbyists and Dick Cheney are angling to have Congress grant them retroactive immunity for their past crimes. And, in the absence of real leadership from any presidential candidate other than John Edwards, Democrats in Congress are just as deeply implicated as accessories-after-the-fact as Republicans.

As Glenn Greenwald explains today --

Telecoms already have immunity under existing FISA law where they acted pursuant to written government certification or where they prove they acted in good faith (see 18 USC 2520 (d)). There is no reason that the federal courts presiding over these cases can't simply make that determination, as they do in countless other cases involving classified information.

Lots of bloggers and more traditional news sources have the low-down on what's happening, such as here and here and here. If you're short of time, Leave Us Alone! offers a succinct version. with links. Raw Story has an update for today, as well.

Click on this link to see what you can do today to defend the U.S. Constitution at no cost.

Dodd's Thank-you

Telecom Consumer Question

Tom Ferrero's news dispatch for Reuters about Chris Dodd's success in forcing Democrats to reconsider their position on the FISA telecom immunity bill includes this handy summary:

Nearly 40 lawsuits have been filed accusing AT&T, Verizon and Sprint Nextel Corp of violating U.S. privacy rights.

Which inspires us to wonder, Is there any alternative for Northwest Florida residents to one of the above-named tele-com corps, when it comes to a land line and cell phone?

Because all things considered, we'd rather not do business with any of them.

Dodd Prevails on Telecom Immunity

Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid late tonight confirmed he will "pull" from the Senate floor the FISA bill that grants retroactive immunity to telecom companies like ATT. Firedog Lake has an early take on the courageous stance of Senator Dodd.

So does TPM Election Central:

Senator Chris Dodd had planned to filibuster the bill this evening, and it didn't look as if the other Senators running for President -- Hillary, Obama, Biden -- would lend support for the filibuster in person. Now the question's moot -- until January.

Why did Reid pull the bill now? "Sen. Reid refused to jam this bill through the Senate because he believes it’s an important bill that deserves to be debated thoroughly," a Reid aide told us.

But Dodd aides expressed satisfaction, saying that the Connecticut Senator's filibuster threat was what stopped the bill for the time being. They vowed that he'd be back to fight it again in January.

Some politicians waffle. Some just talk a good game. Some actually get up, leave the campaign trail, and do good for the Nation. Smart voters discern the difference.

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